Production of thermoinduction currents



Oct. 6,1925- 1,556,183

E. Viz

PRODUCTION OF THERMOINDUCTION CURRENTS Filed Dec. 1922 Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES ELEMER vIz, or BUDAPEST, HUNGARY,

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HAL)? TO MAX MEIN- HARDT. 0F COVENTRY. ENGLAND.

PRODUCTION O13 TT 'RI IOINDUCTION CUI- RENTS.

Application filed December 23, 1922.

To all lei- 10m it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ELnnr'xR Viz. a eiti- Zen oi. Hungary, and a resident of Budapest. in Hungary, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Production of Thermoinduction Currents. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to the production of electric currents by arying the magnetic lines by means of thermal variants.

It is a well known principle that the permeability of soft iron can be altered by the thermal action for the production of mag netic fields of varying flux density with consequent production of induced currents in coils subject to such fields. Many attempts have been made to employ this principle to practical advantage in the generation of electric currents, but devices heretotore constructed with this end in view have proven to be unsuccessful in producing power of sufficient magnitude to warrant their use commercially.

The principal advantages of my invention are to obviate this deficiency and to attain the desired results by an organization that is structurally simple. compact and highly efficient in the production of augmented electrical ener y.

The characteristic eature of the presentinvention lies in the fact that by the action of heat two separate magnetic circuits, placed opposite each other, are caused to act upon each other in suchwise that alternately first by the action of heat a state of mutual repulsion between these two circuits is produced and then this state caused to cease by cooling off (or vice versa) whilst an electrical energy corresponding to the energy of the heat action is obtained.

The means for carrying out the method according to this invention are based upon the arrangement of two magnets placed near each other, the magnetic fields of which are protected from each other by two soft iron screens or armatures. each oiwhich leads the lines 0t force from one pole of a magnet to the other pole thereof, as long as such soft iron armatures are cold. but when the iron arinatures are brought up to a determined higher temperature they will no longer deflect the lines of magnetic force. By heating and again cooling the protective soft iron armatures in rapid succession,

Serial No. 608,803.

the intensity of the magnetic fields is periodically and rapidly changed which produces inductive etiects corresponding to this periodical change. T he alternating currents at 'ugr may lso be change into rectified or (1. currents y means of suitable commutation.

The carryinu out of the method will be more precisely explained by the diagramn'iatic representat on given in the drawinsz'.

For a full iinrlerstandingz oi the principle of operation upon which the invention is based reference is made to the accompany inc; drawine' wl ich is a sectional. view of an appa atus embodvingr the invention.

Referring to the drawing. I and II are two elcctroanegrnets which are provided with sot't iron screen (1 and 7). The magnetic lines which emanate from the electro-marrnets I and Tl. seek the paths which possess the mavimnm permeability. and consequently the n'iagnctic lines are for the most part closed by these screens. whereby two separate magnetic circuits are formed.

It is demonstratable that it iron be heated that it gradually becomes diamag'netic the advance toward this condition being; markedly rapid between 220 Centigrade. until a state o absolute t tality is reached approuimat ne; TGO" cen. (in heat iugr the soft iron screens a and 7) while in position in front ot the electro-magnets I and II within these limits Oil temperatures. the loss of their peri'i'ieability is the quicker and more complete the higher the heat is to which they are subjected. In consequence the screens at increasing; temperatu es allow an increasing number of lines of force to pass between the poles of said opposite electro-magrnets until the permeability of said screens is entirely lost whereupon all power lines will be allowed to pass through said screens which means that said screens have been deprived of their screening effect.

My invention makes use of the fact that the screens a and allow the lines of force to pass at a certain degrree of heat, while at a temperature being about 20 to 30 centigrade below this upper limit said screens are able to cut oil? the majority of the power linesv By the thus produced immense change of the number of lines of force through alternatelv allowing the power lines to pass and cutting them oii, I induce electro-magnetic currents within the induce de tion windings of the electro-magnet II. Since I use very thin screens (for instance screens of 0.5 millimeters thickness) the influence upon the magnetic reluctance of the magnetic circuit in consequence of the change of permeability of the screens, is very small. It is a fact that the loss of lines of force incident to the increase in magnetic reluctance is relatively small as compared to the magnetic flux caused to pass to the induction windings due to the decrease in permeability of the screens. During the cooling of the screens the opposite phenomenon will be observed. The change of permeability as the result of the cooling effect takes place suddenly without any marked period of transition with the result that the flow of magnetic lines of force to the induction windings is suddenly interrupted.

According to the drawing, the per1na nent exciting current is passed into windings of the electro-magnet I, then through the contact a? of the commutator K into the windings of the electro-magnet II, and then through the contact 3 back to the exciting battery. The position of the commutator K during the heating of the screens must be such that the magnetic arms lying opposite each other have the same polarity, so that the direction of the induced current will be the same as the direction of the exciting current, whereby the induced current will strengthen the exciting current.

The soft iron screens a and b arranged opposite each other are in the drawing associated with structural parts 7 and of non-magnetic material to form a hollow channel 70. Said channel is surrounded by a casing in of non-magnetic material, whereby further channels I and n are formed on the outer sides of the soft iron screens aand b. A slide 7) is arranged to alternately open and close said channels 70, l, 'n at each stroke. Through the channel In a heating medium is passed rapidly, while alternately therewith a cooling medium is passed through the conduits Z and 01. By these means the screens a and 7) are heated at one stroke of the slide 7) and cooled at the next stroke. I furtherconnect said conunutator K positively with said slide 7) in order to reverse the induced currents periodically with the heating and cooling of the screens a and b. Thereby, a direct current results. As a matter of course I may use any equivalent means for the slide and the commutator K shown in Fig. 1.

In the. foregoing I have described one form of apparatus for carrying out the principle on which the invention is based. It is understood. however, that there is considerable latitude in regard to specific detail. The salient point is the application of soft iron screens between opposing magnets whereby a relatively small rise or fall of temperature near the critical limit effects a relatively large change, and above all avery high rate of change in the magnetic flux in the magnets.

In the particular embodiment, the electric current induced by the changes in the lines of force is superimposed upon the exciting current and may be taken from the circuit at the points X and Y. However, the char acter and disposition of induction windings through which the change of magnetic flux high magnetic permeability disposed in thegaps in spaced relation to both sections and means constructed and arranged to alternately heat and cool said' means.

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means in the gap is composed of two members spaced from each other in the direction of the width of the gap.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1. wherein the means in the gap is composed of two thin sheets spaced in the direction of the width of the gap.

4. In apparatus for producing electric currents. the combination of a magnetic circuit composed of two sections of high permeability separated bv air gaps. two sheets of material having a high degree of permeability. disposed in the gaps in spaced relation to each other and to the sections and means associated with the said sheets and the magnets for defining separate gas passages. one between the sheets and one at the opposite side of each sheet.

5. In apparatus for producing electric i currents. the combination of a magnetic circuit composed of two sections of high per me bilitv separated bv air gaps. magnetic screening means of high permeabilitv dis posed in the gaps in spaced relation to the III" sections. mean for alternately heatin and V cooling the screening means. a source of electric current. coils on the sections inter-connected to define a circuit. switch means for reversing the current flow through the coil on one of the sections and means making the current reversal dependent on the means for heating and cooling the screening means V 5 ELEMER VIZ. 

